Mike Johanns, once USDA chief, now senator

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mike Johanns, agriculture secretary for much of President George W. Bush's second term, says he will promote ethanol and other renewable fuels as the newly elected senator from Nebraska.

A Republican, Johanns beat Democrat Scott Kleeb on Wednesday for the Senate seat by a 3-2 margin in unofficial results to return to Washington.

In campaign material, Johanns said he would encourage development of cellulosic ethanol through federally backed research and a loan guarantee program for construction of cellulosic plants.

In other races involving U.S. agriculture:

--Iowans reelected Tom Harkin, the Democrat who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee. Harkin was the lead sponsor of "green payments" for land, water and wildlife stewardship on working lands and the prime sponsor of a new, optional program to protect farmer revenue.

The Average Crop Revenue Election program will be available with 2009 crops.

--A recount loomed for the Senate race in Minnesota, where incumbent Republican Norm Coleman led Democrat Al Franken by less than 1,000 votes out of 2.85 million cast. Recounts are required when the winning margin is less than one-half of 1 percent. On his campaign website, Franken said, "There is reason to believe that the recount could change the vote tallies significantly."

Coleman and Franken each took 42 percent of the vote. Independence Party member Dean Barkley got 15 percent. Coleman is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Franken, a comedian, said he would request a panel seat if elected.

--Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Democratic challenger Jim Martin appeared on the road to a December 2 run-off in Georgia. State law requires a candidate to win a majority of all votes. Unofficial returns with 99 percent of precincts reporting showed Chambliss with 1,835,260 votes, Martin 1,723,981 votes and Libertarian Allen Buckley with 125,979 votes.

Chambliss is a former chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

--Reps. Robin Hayes of North Carolina and Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado, Republican leaders on House Agriculture subcommittees, were defeated.

(Reporting by Charles Abbott; Editing by Marguerita Choy)